Swinging for the FENCE !

[baddog]

Ehlert may one day play in the big leagues. If he plays AL, he won't have to bat. If he plays NL, he will probably be asked to lay down a bunt.

Change can be either good or bad, depends on how drastic a change and the kid himself. If he has a roundhouse swing or is dropping his shoulder, that would seem to be something drastic. If all he needs to do is keep his head down (biggest problem with a bad swing), that can be corrected without major change.

I have a question about Ehlert. Is he considered as good as Beau Hale? I remember when LCM was in the playoffs with Beau, the LCM coach would ask the opposing team if they wanted a single game elimination. If they did, Hale would pitch every game. Is Ehlert that capable of a pitcher?

BTW, whatever happened to Hale?

[jdawg03]

check the local players in Pro/College Action for your answer about Hale

[baddog]

Thanks jdog, I looked right over it. Wish someone would answer my other question about Ehlert.

[Bears]

I think that question could best be answered by Coach Griff.

But you must win a flip to get a 1 game, and I would think there may only be one Team in the playoffs he would do that with.

But with Womack,Dugas,Adams and Cassidy and Huges, I think the Bears would be pretty tough in a 2 of 3.

[baddog]

Yeah, I guess the coach would be the one to ask. But when two great pitchers play for the same high school in different eras, the comparisons are bound to be made. I know Ehlert is a great pitcher, I was just wondering about his stamina.

[MIF04]

I think the playoff scenarios for this year's LCM team are interesting. Very few teams are as deep as they are on the hill. On the other hands, there are a couple of teams that can go deep as well (Montgomery comes to mind with Heard, Stone and Springer). My personal preference is always for a 2 out of 3 and, one of these days, I think (hope?) the UIL will mandate this. On the other hand, if you had to roll the dice on 1 game -- and Ehlert was your guy, it ain't a bad bet.

[Will11]

The answer to your question can be debated all day long.

My take on the matter is Beau pitched back in the middle 90's and was dominate with his 90+ mph fastball. Elhert pitches today against young men who see 90+ mph fastballs all year long. The hitters today are much better hitters then the ones just 10 yrs ago because of the Tournament ball they play against some of the best talent in the nation. I mean how many kids back in the 90's traveled across the nation from coast to coast getting 100 or more at bats against top college recuits ?

If I had to choose between Elhert and Hale today vs todays hitters, I would take Elhert because of his arm action. He is the most deceptive pitcher around, he never changes his release point nor his arm action. I have sat back there and watched him throw 100 pitches and may have guessed right on 5 to 10 off speeds.. I can only imagine what the hitters are thinking.

[adminbaberuth]

I mean how many kids back in the 90's traveled across the nation from coast to coast getting 100 or more at bats against top college recuits ?

Thank God those 10 locals in the Pro's on our other link didn't have to travel all over the country, as they stayed home and learned something missing in today's players.....how to field a ground ball.

[baddog]

The answer to your question can be debated all day long.

My take on the matter is Beau pitched back in the middle 90's and was dominate with his 90+ mph fastball. Elhert pitches today against young men who see 90+ mph fastballs all year long. The hitters today are much better hitters then the ones just 10 yrs ago because of the Tournament ball they play against some of the best talent in the nation. I mean how many kids back in the 90's traveled across the nation from coast to coast getting 100 or more at bats against top college recuits ?

If I had to choose between Elhert and Hale today vs todays hitters' date=' I would take Elhert because of his arm action. He is the most deceptive pitcher around, he never changes his release point nor his arm action. I have sat back there and watched him throw 100 pitches and may have guessed right on 5 to 10 off speeds.. I can only imagine what the hitters are thinking.[/quote']

I'll agree with that assessmnet somewhat in that sports in general is practice and repetitions, the better players you play against, the better you become. However, with our past players in the pros, as adminbaberuth pointed out, I'm not sure the players are better than they were. Just an opinion.

About Ehlert, I've never questioned his pitching ability, just his durability. Beau would pitch and win a one game elimination, maybe get some rest due to the fact that the next opponent was playing a 2-out-of-3, then he was ready to do it again.

According to Greg Maddux, the key to great pitching is hitting your spots and changing speeds. If you have a 90+ mph fastball that you can throw for strikes on the corners, then that's just icing on the cake, but totally unnecessary. Look at Maddux's Cy Young awards.

[Will11]

I agree 100% with you on the glove work of todays fielders. Fundemental Baseball is not being taught nor practiced as it once was. Todays players are taught to show case their individual abilities in hopes of getting noticed by a scout or two. I overheard a Dad at a local high school game, tell his son "No matter what the coach calls, do not bunt or take a pitch, they are here to see you swing" this was outside the restroom before the game even started.

[espn2]

I would not think durability would be an issue either way. The latest you could play a one game would be Saturday and the earliest the next week would be wendsday. And that would be if you lost several flips. So durability would play less of a role in a one game. Now in two out of three some coaches might want to throw a pitcher more than once and that is when durability would come into play. Just my opinion.

[adminbaberuth]

The way the Womack kid has played this year, I believe he has pitched in both Nederland victories plus had big clutch hits in almost every big district win, Griff might say "Hey, let's play 2 out of 3, we're deep enough"